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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Getting along with colleagues helps you live longer

Getting along with your fellow workers can significantly increase your lifespan, a university report has suggested.

According to latest research friendly work environment and a positive relationship with your co-workers has long-term health benefitsPhoto: ALAMY

7:05AM BST 05 Aug 2011

A friendly work environment and a positive relationship with your co-workers has long-term health benefits, according to the latest research.

Dr Sharon Toker of the Department of Organizational Behavior at Tel Aviv University's Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration says that employees who believe that they have the personal support of their peers at work are more likely to live a longer life.

"We spend most of our waking hours at work, and we don't have much time to meet our friends during the weekdays," explains Dr Toker. "Work should be a place where people can get necessary emotional support."

Dr Toker and her TAU colleagues Prof. Arie Shirom and Yasmin Alkaly, along with Orit Jacobson and Ran Balicer from Clalit Healthcare Services, followed the health records of 820 adults who worked an average of 8.8 hours a day through a two-decade period. Those who had reported having low social support at work were 2.4 times more likely to die sometime within those 20 years, says Dr Toker.

The study has been published in the journal Health Psychology.

The 820 study participants were drawn from adults aged 25 to 65. Researchers controlled for various psychological, behavioral or physiological risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and depression, and administered a questionnaire to participants, who were drawn from a wide variety of professional fields including finance, health care and manufacturing.

Researchers asked about employees' relationships with their supervisors, and also assessed the subjects' evaluation of their peer relationships at work, and whether their peers were friendly and approachable, a reflection of emotional and professional support. Dr Toker suspects that the perception of emotional support was the strongest indicator of future health.

During the course of the study, says Dr Toker, 53 participants died, most of whom had negligible social connections with their co-workers. A lack of emotional support at work led to a 140% increased risk of dying in the next twenty years compared to those who reported supportive co-workers, she concluded.

While building a supportive environment for employees may seem intuitive, Dr Toker says that many workplaces have lost their way. Despite open concept offices, many people use email rather than face-to-face communication, and social networking sites that may provide significant social connection are often blocked.

To make an office friendlier to health Dr Toker suggests coffee corners where people can congregate to sit and talk; informal social outings for staff members; an internal virtual social network similar to Facebook; or a peer-assistance program where employees can confidentially discuss stresses and personal problems that may affect their position at work anything that encourages employees to feel emotionally supported, she says.

Naked anger over plans to build a tower block overlooking naturist club (surely they can’t be shy, can they?)

A nudist club with 300 members has been left fuming after a council approved plans for a tower block overlooking its grounds.

The White House Club in Whyteleafe, Surrey, boasts that its members can swim in the nude in its 50ft outdoor swimming pool, relax in its sauna, or play tennis on its two outdoor courts.

Naturists can also enjoy nude ping pong, basketball, badminton and bowls and take part in a range of events, including barbecues and sing-songs in the confines of the five acre club.

The cheek of it: A nudist club with 300 members has been left fuming after a council approved plans for a tower block overlooking its grounds (picture posed by models)

But the 'paradise' is now set to come to an end after the local council gave the green light to knock down a disused office block just 300 yards away and replace it with a five-storey block of flats.

Nudists are 'furious' with Tandridge District Council after its planning committee approved the 167-flat tower block, saying residents will be able to see them in the 'altogether' as they prance around in the buff.

The club, which opened in 1933, has a membership ranging in age from two to 90 and counts nurses, teachers, electricians and an airline pilot in its ranks and had 10 bedrooms for residents to stay in.

White House Club director David Mason, speaking after planning permission was granted this week, said that scores of members had complained to the council and that he was 'disappointed' with the decision.

He said: ‘We're disappointed at the decision.

The site: The White House Club in Whyteleafe, Surrey, (located by the red arrow) - and the five-storey tower block is to be constructed across the road (marked by white circle)

‘Our members playing tennis or standing in front of our clubhouse can be overlooked, especially when the screening trees' foliage is down.

‘We want to see measures put in which preclude overlooking, and protect our environment, which has been a haven of tranquillity and recreation for more than 70 years.’

Naturist and mother-of-two Wendy, 33, from Croydon, added: ‘This is a lovely, relaxed place where the children and I can come and enjoy its privacy.

‘I would be concerned if an overlooking building attracted undesirable elements.’

Another nudist, who did not want to be named, said she would 'not feel comfortable' being overlooked by so many people.

The 26-year-old secretary said: ‘I certainly would not feel comfortable with people watching me swimming, sunbathing or playing tennis in the nude.

‘Not that I'm ashamed of my body, but I don't want any Tom, Dick or Harry staring at me from their windows.’

Reconstruction: The site which is soon to be turned into a five-storey tower block

The club's website states that it is a great place to 'unwind', adding: ‘Our beautiful naturist club is one of the nicest places to exercise, unwind and enjoy being naked in nature.

‘Whether you want to swim naked every morning or simply enjoy getting an all-over tan during a summer weekend, our club is there for all our members to enjoy.

‘The fun doesn't stop when winter comes - our pool is kept at 28C all year and is well used whatever the British weather brings.

‘Skinny-dipping in our 50ft swimming pool is reason enough to join the club, but other sports include tennis on our two full-size tennis courts and we have indoor and outdoor table tennis, an exercise room, a badminton court, a basketball hoop, a volleyball area and a picturesque and very popular Boules court.’

The club even has a 'fully-stocked' bar, TV room and conservatory and regularly hosts gigs, poetry readings, concerts, dinner parties and sports days.

Councillor Sakina Bradbury said this week: ‘Putting homes in must be better than what's there now.’

As part of the plans the builders - Comer Homes - must include 40 affordable homes in the 167-flat block and building is expected to start in the next several months.

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Rowan Atkinson escapes with a broken shoulder as 240mph supercar smashes into tree and bursts into flames

Now Rowan Atkinson has been involved in a real-life disaster, crashing his 240mph supercar as he drove home from work on a spoof spy movie.

The comedy star lost control of his McLaren F1, careering across the carriageway and into a tree and a road sign before the £635,000 sports car burst into flames.

Scroll down for video of Rowan Atkinson on Top Gear...

Serious repair: The supercar, pictured being taken from the crash site, has suffered considerable damage to the rear carbon fibre bodywork

Rescue: Emergency services rushed to the scene to check on Atkinson who managed to free himself from the wreck. The fire service confirmed that the car was in flames after it left the road

He had managed to escape from the wreckage when the flames took hold in the engine bay.
Atkinson was taken to hospital with a fractured shoulder after the incident on Thursday evening.

He was discharged yesterday but left Peterborough City Hospital in a wheelchair and without comment. Onlookers said he was manoeuvred into the back of a Harley Street private ambulance and driven away.

TOP GEAR FASTEST LAPS:

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1:46.7 – Ellen MacArthur1:46.9 – Jimmy Carr1:47.1 – Simon Cowell

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1:42.2 – Rowan Atkinson1:42.8 – John Bishop1:43.5 – Ross Noble

The accident comes a month after the renowned ‘petrol head’ set the fastest time on a lap of the Top Gear track during the BBC motoring show’s ‘star in a reasonably priced car’ segment.

The incident on the A605 at Haddon in Cambridgeshire is the second time the comedian has crashed the F1, which he bought in 1997 following the success of his Mr Bean film.

In 1999 he ploughed the vehicle into the back of a Rover Metro in Lancashire, but the damage this time is likely to be rather more substantial. Pictures of the car taken before it was loaded on to a recovery truck show the sports car – the fastest road car in production when it was launched in 1992 – suffered extensive rear damage to its carbon fibre bodywork.

Atkinson’s agent Peter Bennett-Jones said his client had been driving to his Northamptonshire home after editing his latest film Johnny English Reborn, a sequel to the 2003 movie Johnny English, about a clumsy English spy which parodies the James Bond genre.

Mr Bennett-Jones said: ‘He is shaken but not stirred.

‘I think he was in pain and had some painkillers and stayed in hospital because obviously he didn’t have a car to get home. It is nothing more serious than that. He will be very rattled by the whole thing and I think he’ll want to keep as low profile as possible.’

Cambridgeshire police said no one else was involved in the crash, which forced the road to be closed for an hour while wreckage was cleared.

Atkinson was given a routine breath test at the scene which proved negative and no charges are likely to follow.

He once said he ‘derives pleasure from anything four-wheeled, from a go-kart to a Bentley’, and has owned a £125,000 Aston Martin Virage and a vintage Rolls-Royce.

Only 106 McLaren F1s were produced, costing £635,000 when new and going from 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds.

A spokesman for McLaren said the car would be taken to its headquarters in Woking, Surrey, to assess the damage.

Comedy gold: Rowan Atkinson in his role as the hapless Mr Bean - who would have certainly being flustered by today's events

Smash: Rowan Atkinson's £650,000 McLaren F1, seen in the aftermath of the crash. The car spun several times, smashed into a tree and ploughed into a road sign before catching fire on the opposite side of the carriageway

[caption

Accident: The front of the car was wrecked in a previous collision with a Rover Metro in Lancashire in October 1999

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So much news today is dull, depressing, controversial. It's almost impossible to watch news without hearing story after story of war, terror, killing, destruction, government, corruption, etc. I come across weird and wonderful news items as I scan the worlds press that put a smile on ones face or distract one from all the doom and gloom. These are the stories that will make up "The Quirky Globe". If you have any reactions to articles please leave a comment.... it may encourage debate. Pass this site on to your friends who are also fed up with mainstream news and become a follower. Enjoy and smile.